Lithia
Lithia was the eight installment in the Chronicles of Libera. It began about 119 AA and took place in Zanoll. History and Publication Lithia was written by S.A. Thorup after ''Founders'' and published in 2010. It was the first stand-alone novel in the Chronicles of Libera, if you count Founders as a two-part series rather than its originally intended stand-alone status. Book Cover The cover art was done by S.A. Thorup and features the characters Lithia McCail and Gersik Cherklk, with the Cob and its small bay in the background. The author revealed that she was going for the type of illustration one would find in a children's book. The back cover features High Priest Sanaru in his armor with his sword. Plot Lithia circled around a human girl of the same named, named Lithia McCail. She lived in the small town of Northvale as a farmer's daughter, both her parents being wǽre, and lived a simple, pleasant life. One night a Unia'a by the name Miss Heronsword, who later turned out to be Sabra the Incarnate, asked to stay at the home while she searched Northvale for prospective students to send to Tigerdowns. When the week ended, she left while Lithia's best friend Dreanna Reson and a boy named Leville went to Mal'ur to attend Tigerdowns, since they had been chosen by Miss Heronsword due to their high academic performance at their home school. Winter passed, including Lithia's birthday. The next summer, Dreanna and Leville returned to Northvale and recounted their adventures at Tigerdowns. Dreanna later revealed she has been allowed to bring another student along upon her return to Tigerdowns, and asked Lithia to go. Lithia agreed and subsequently was funded by the Mal'ur government for school. The majority of the plot was spent around Lithia's adventures at Tigerdowns, where she learned that the student ambassadors were being attacked by a mysterious group of lupogryphs. When one of her friends, the half-breed Valiel Brador, was wounded by them, Lithia becomes a student ambassador to find out the cause of the attacks. She befriend a haughty Gersik Cherķlk and the Mistress of Tigerdowns, the Crin Churralan Hũro, and the Draconite High Priest Sanaru, a powerful light mage, on the way. At first Lithia is put under the false impression that Gersik is responsible, as she hears Valiel's step-father, the Unia'aRutain Brador, speaking to a "Mr. Cherķlk," but does not actually see Mr. Cherķlk. Lithia is burdened with the knowledge that the Cherķlk lupogryphs and the father of one of her best friends is responsible for attacks on the student ambassadors, and she reveals her distress to Gersik. He makes her swear silence on the matter until his family can receive good enough help from someone more powerful than Mr. Brador. Lithia had also learned that his family had been blackmailed into this slavery-like service because Rutain had threatened that he would sendFerķaes Cherķlk, Gersik's grandfather, to the Hunters if Ferķaes did not serve him. Although the exact role of the Hunters is not revealed in Lithia, all the characters who know about them have at least the impression that they are an unpleasant group of people, unpleasant enough to make a person will himself into bondage to be safe. As Lithia continued her work as ambassador, she was sent by the Molouk Gregaain, assistant manager of the Triad Smith and Trade to deliver a parcel to Lantis. Gersik accompanied her, and both are captured by Rutain. They had been followed by the Draconites Troy and Amoy, who had accompanied Sanaru to Zanoll. Rutain tested a mask embedded with a draconite on Lithia, allowing her to contact Sanaru. Rutain forced Lithia to ask Sanaru about an "artifact", and Rutain was satisfied with the deal Sanaru striked with him to meet him in Mal'ur. Sanaru then destroyed the mask using his light magic through the dragon-stone connection, accidentally blinding Lithia. Troy and Amoy broke Gersik and Lithia out of the prison soon after and returned them to Mal'ur. Lithia fell into a state of depression because of her blindness, but, partly because of Miss Heronsword's encouragement, bounced back and tried her best to work in the temple to earn her stay. She was visited several times by her friends, and in one instance Miss Heronsword revealed her agitation over the condition of the Cherķlks. Lithia remained a student ambassador and began to work with Gersik, Miss Grael, and castle workers on a new population census. Though she could not see, she helped to keep stacks of paper organized while she thought over the Cherķlks. Meanwhile, Sanaru and his "contact," who was also Sabra, met Rutain and talked about the Artifact. Rutain promised not to attack the ambassadors with the Cherķlk lupogryphs anymore as long as he could obtain ownership of the Artifact. Sanaru gave Rutain a fake "Artifact", not foolish enough to give the elf the real thing, and warned Lithia to watch over Valiel if possible, for her step-father later sought to do her harm. Sabra, concerned over Lithia's welfare, went to to the Mal'ur Temple to meditate over how to help Lithia. She received a brief revelation that Lithia must make her own choices before Sabra spoke to High Priest Aaron. They talked about how they were still chosen and the powers of the marks on their hands (the mark of the Sunstone on Aaron's hand and the mark of the Moonstone on Sabra's hand]]. Sabra then pondered a solution. Later on, Sabra met with Lithia and tells Lithia about her connection to the goddess Luna and how it was possible the gods could restore Lithia's eyesight. Lithia told her and the others in the room that she could already see with her heart, and that gave Sabra all the more reason to use the mark on her hand for healing. She exerted a great amount of force to bring Lithia's sense of sight back, for she fell unconscious and remained bed-ridden the following day. Lithia's eyesight was not immediately restored, but it gradually returned first as a lightening of the darkness, then black and whites, and then full color and clarity. During the restoration of her eyesight, Valiel admits to Lithia that she knew about her father's dirty deeds and she gave Lithia a letter she stole written from Ferkaes to Rutain, which requested that Rutain treat the Cherķlks with honor. As Lithia pondered over the contents of the letter, she realized that the census records had a listing of servants, and she ran to check them. She finds that the current Cherķlk family was not listed under Rutain Brador. Sabra met her and Lithia revealed what she had found. Sabra promised to help Lithia with a court case against Rutain. Lithia arranged a meeting with Mr. Cherķlk, guided by Gersik and another Cherķlk lupogryph to meet him in the forest at night. Mr. Cherķlk came to trust Lithia with her intentions, and he gave her his alchmark so Rutain could not destroy it and its evidence of servitude in the Cherķlk family. Lithia returned to Mal'ur and went to plead Aaron's help for a court case. She learned that Miss Heronsword is actually Sabra the Incarnate, a legendary heroine and once a queen of Zanoll. Miss Heronsword told them of how personal the situation had become with her, and she later revealed that she held a great love for the Cherķlk family because of their descent from an old friend of hers, Ķiaser Cherķlk. A case was held before King Bierr and princess Whitney Eslgow, wherein Sanaru revealed the real Artifact. Rutain was found guilty and he attempted to kill Lithia after Sabra shows those involved a memory of her and Sanaru's meeting with Rutain at the docks and his real intentions in getting the Artifact. Sabra defended Lithia and the two elves briefly scuffled before Sabra forced him to yield, barely restraining death upon him. Rutain was shut into the Liberty Dungeons for a period of one hundred years and lost all ownership of his company, Westward Bound, and all forced servitude of the Cherķlks. When peace resumed, Lithia remained in Mal'ur to complete her ambassadorialship and became Mistress of Tigerdowns after Churralan. Churralan and Valiel went to Lantis, where Valiel took up Rutain's business with the lizardwoman's help. When Lithia was eighteen years old, she bade farewell to Sabra, who implied that her new home was in Tyrell and that she did not belong in Zanoll anymore. Sabra left Zanoll, and Lithia returned to Northvale briefly before resuming her position as Mistress of Tigerdowns. The plot ended ten years later in 154 AA when Lithia and Gersik, both prominent ambassadors, were commissioned by the Foreign Relations office of the royal family to go west to Wǽre to speak with Queen Lithia Wǽrepanther about educational and economical improvements. Lithia briefly wondered if she was named after this queen, also pondering why her parents left their homeland. After meeting other ambassadors from the Southern Isles at The Boon, Gersik and Lithia left Zanoll to the west. Lithia's parents tried to say goodbye as the ship leaves, and she bade them farewell. Category:Books